Judith Tackett is stepping down from Nashville’s Homeless Impact Division, which she’s led for 4 years.Under her leadership, the city created the Homelessness Planning Council, developed a three-year strategic plan and increased funding for a group that works to end homelessness.
On Tuesday, Tackett informed her colleagues she was resigning via email.
“Yes, a lot of criticism is bombarding you from all sides, but please, do not get distracted from the loud voices,” she wrote. “Stay the course. Housing ends Homelessness. We need all types of effective programs within a Housing Crisis Resolution System, and we need a leadership structure that does not shy away from long-term solutions.”
Her resignation comes as nearly a dozen tent encampments are facing closure — from the city, the state and private property owners. That includes the camp at Brookmeade Park, which is among the largest in Nashville. The city has also been piloting a new method for providing shelter space, along with other initiatives.
Last Wednesday, Tackett appeared along with her boss, Social Services Executive Director Renee´ Pratt, at the city’s COVID-19 Financial Oversight Committee. Tackett asked for more money to contract with a nonprofit to run a flex team that would respond to community concerns and coordinate resources.
The city currently has a temporary team targeted to COVID-19.
“Homelessness has definitely increased significantly. People have moved during COVID from shelter settings to outdoor settings,” she told the committee.
And she said 130 people have died in 2021 so far. She also requested money for transportation to get people to weather shelters.
“The Affordable Housing and Homelessness conversation needs to be one conversation,” Tackett wrote in her email. “Nashville needs to invest in low-income, low-barrier housing. We cannot miss the opportunity right now to explore purchasing motels and refurbishing those in permanent supportive housing units.”
“This news rocked the homeless outreach and service provider community because she is a highly trusted, endlessly dedicated, strategic, compassionate, and innovative leader,” reads a statement from Open Table Nashville, a nonprofit that provides services to people without stable housing. “She has managed to unite members of the public and private sectors in order to move Nashville forward on issues of homelessness.”
Tackett declined to comment. But in her email, she said she would take “a little breather” before deciding what’s next.
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